NBA: Sixers' chemistry might make for winning formula

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins, right, pictured speaking to rookie guard Maalik Wayns during a preseason game last week, has high hopes for the chemistry of this season’s Sixers. (AP Photo)

PHILADELPHIA — A couple days ago, after a practice at PCOM, Doug Collins took a seat on an exercise ball and told a story.

He spoke of his team’s chemistry — an age-old rhetorical exercise employed by the best of ‘em in the NBA. Then he smiled widely, basking in the notion that his players actually like being around one another. He talked of their intentions to share the ball, pass to open teammates and take only the best available shots.

Then Collins gave an applicable example to support his defense of their selflessness.

The 76ers coach mentioned his team’s recent trip to Atlantic City, N.J., for an exhibition game. The day prior to it, Collins’ crew went to a restaurant that couldn’t seat all the players together. So the Sixers left that establishment in favor of another one, where they could break bread at the same table.

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If you didn’t believe what Collins had been preaching, that story probably sold you.

“I don’t know how many games we’re going to win, but I like my team,” Collins said.

“When you enjoy being around your people and being in the locker room and being on the court and teaching, that obviously is the fun part of it. Now the pressure obviously is in winning. If you don’t win, it’s not nearly as much fun. We’ve got high-character guys, guys who like each other. We’ve got some pieces. We’ve just got to figure it all out. … I feel good about where the franchise is going.”

The Sixers, who are off today after concluding their preseason schedule Monday, were first-round bow-outs in 2010-11, their first season under Collins. They qualified for Round 2 of the NBA tournament in Collins’ Year 2. This upcoming campaign constitutes the third season with Collins at the helm of the team that made him the first-overall pick of the 1973 draft.

Collins, at times this preseason, has referred to his players as pieces — and putting the puzzle together falls under his job description.

He’s certainly got plenty of them: He has a championship-winning, all-star center (Andrew Bynum), albeit one with afflicted knees. He’s got a triumvirate of 3-point shooters (Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright and Nick Young), a welcome sign for a perimeter-flimsy squad a year ago. He’s got a power forward who wants to play small forward (Thad Young), a small forward in a power forward’s body (Spencer Hawes), and a first-year starting point guard who’s been in the league for four seasons (Jrue Holiday). Then there’s Evan Turner, whose position involves too many responsibilities to count on two hands.

But Collins likes his team. And there’s something to be said for that.

With so many moving parts, and others confined to preseason immobility, it’s difficult to identify an etched-in-stone strength for the Sixers. In terms of per-game averages, they’re first in the Eastern Conference this preseason in scoring (103.5), first in assists (25.0), second in rebounding (46.7), second in 3-point percentage (41.0), third in field-goal percentage (45.8), fourth in opponents’ scoring (92.0) and fourth in free-throw percentage (76.6).

As the numbers indicate, the preseason has been kind to the Sixers.

However, if they have anything going for them, it’s continuity. Their coach understands where to put his players on the court and how to find the most favorable scenarios for them. He knows the minutes he can expect from certain guys, and in which roles they’ll thrive. Collins has been asked whether he thinks he’s stepped on a few toes, using guys in spots in which they might not be so accustomed.

To that, Collins shakes his head.

The reason? In training camp, he issued index cards to his players and asked them to jot down how they’d describe their roles with the team. Where there’s clarity, there’s promise.

“I don’t think there’s anyone on our team who would say, ‘I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do,’” Collins said. “They’ve been told, we talked, they filled out their cards, I looked at their cards, we talked. I don’t think there’s any question of what we need from guys.”

What Collins needs is at least 60 games from Bynum, continued long-range connections from his trio of outside shooters, lock-down defense from Turner, continued progress from Holiday and rebounding-by-committee from Young, Lavoy Allen, Kwame Brown and Hawes.

Collins might only get half of that, but he will need more if the Sixers are to maintain their incremental climb in the Eastern Conference under Collins.

“I think we have a group of guys that want to win,” Collins said. “They want to win.”